Whiskey Jack Adventures: Fez, Morocco

After our first Moroccan tagine (stew-like meal cooked in a pottery casserole- YUM: Norma had chicken, Doug had vegetarian) last night we crashed for a good sleep. We even slept through the call to prayer. Unfortunate because we were provided with a prayer rug in the room (see pic). Our internal clocks are almost reset now. Our evening challenge was to get an ATM to give us Moroccan currency. We finally got one to function in the French language so at least could muddle through. Now we have dirham.

Our pleasant ride this morning started with a group photo just out of the Blue City and proceeded through the Rif Mountains. Road conditions are perhaps not quite as good as they have been but we have seen worse in North America. Our first stop was for coffee where a shoeshine man polished Norma’s boots for a few dirham. Norma is getting quite used to the mint tea as they don’t seem to have regular. How about putting mint in the garden this summer?

Donkeys, donkeys everywhere. They are used to plow the fields, pull carts, transport produce, like mint and their own feed as well as their owners. At the neighbourhood watering hole you will see the donkeys with two big urns strapped to their sides, the only way for many people to get water to their homes. We even saw an incident of distracted donkey riding – cell phone use while riding! The fields are often just a small area hand plowed and hand planted with mint or hay.

The school children we see on the streets are thrilled to see the bikes. They wave and smile and gesture for a throttle twist. We are seeing such happy friendly people.

The next stop was a tour of Volubis, a 2000 year old Roman ruin. A lot of the artifacts from this site have been relocated to museums around the world. Following the guided tour lunch was served where most of Norma’s chicken was used to feed the cat herd patrolling the restaurant. Until one scratched her. Oops. How could she resist the pathetic cries, pregnant bellies and pretty kittens?

This afternoon we rode to Fez and checked into our Moroccan 5 star hotel (3.5 stars?) overlooking the city. What a spectacular view out our window (see pic). Even the bellhop is in uniform.

We have experienced such a diversity in road side activities. On many stretches there were people trying to sell squash and oranges. Pottery establishments and myriad other stalls. We went through numerous police speed checks. The bikes were just waved through – too much hassle for them – but our van got pulled over twice. It’s amazing what a bit of chatter and offer of Spanish gum will do! In the city it got a bit hectic with scooters, trucks, taxis, cars carts and people.

We have been so fortunate with the weather. A bit of fog this morning in the mountains but otherwise sunshine and clear skies. Tomorrow is a non-riding day to explore FEZ!